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8 responses to “You have to pass it to know what’s in it”

And the alternative to Obamacare would be? More of the revoltingly inefficient and wasteful system we currently have?. And don’t tell me that leaving health care to the glorious “private sector” would make things better. Our “private” health care system is a monstrosity, combining the worst of both worlds (expensive ‘corpocracy,’ and leaving 50+ million completely uncovered.). Insurance companies are dinosaurs that deserve to die, and if Wendell Potter is right, their for profit model is imploding. Even dim-witted Teabaggers should be able to recognize that in their precious little hearts, when they’ve had to do battle with an insurance company.

No, the answer is clearly going to be a single payer system, not the flawed compromise Obama barely managed to cobble together, which leaves insurance companies still in the mix. Teabaggers, as usual, have no alternative to offer but the status quo, which is unacceptable and expensive and inhumane. We are rightfully viewed as a joke amongst other industrialized countries when it comes to our health care.

I agree with Dollar Bill rarely, but this is one of those times when I concur. We do need a single payer system (Medicare is relatively efficiently run), but with the elimination of all the medical treatment bells and whistles. If we are going to offer care to everyone, that care must cover only basic medical needs. And who will determine what those “basic” needs are? (Viagra for retirees comes to mind) Obamacare was (is) a disaster because it is poorly thought-out, incomprehensible and impossible to implement fairly. In addition to the fact that it was rammed down the voters’ collective throat in a desperate, patently political and imperious manner. It should be repealed and Congress should start over – if that leads to a single payer system, so be it.

They do have essentially a private sector system. For those who truly cannot afford health care on their own, the government subsidizes it. For the most part, however, people have choice in what they spend and what they get.

Perfect? No. But perfection is impossible. Nevertheless, this sort of a system would be vastly superior to the Obamacare that will ultimately bankrupt us – and better than what we have today. Which, categorically is not a “private system.”

And while we’re at it – how about delinking health care from our employer! Among other silly and inefficient aspects of what we do today….

Linking health care to employers was a post WWII artifact, and Peg, you’re right, that has to change. Having health care should be a right of citizenship, not merely something that can be offered (or taken away) by the whims of an employer. And It’s an unreasonable burden on employers too!! The example of Switzerland is very similar to Obamacare: mandated insurance, but not government run. Very popular with the people and very effective. And universal coverage lowers costs! Stick that in your pipes, Teabaggers!

$Bill – good for you that you know your history and understand that linking health care to an employer is a silly idea.

But read the article. What Switzerland has is nothing at all like Obamacare. Other than the very poor, people put their own money into it. They have choices as to what plans they get. Consumers have “skin in the game” and it makes all the difference.

One defining characteristic of the Swiss system, what really makes it work, is that it is tightly regulated. And guess who’s doing the regulating? The big, bad gummint. We couldn’t possibly adopt such a system in the US. Why, the Teabaggers in the GOP would have an aneurysm. You know that, right Peg?

The Swiss also let civilians carry fully automatic rifles on the trams, without incident. If you can guarantee a populace like that here, DB, I’m all for trying their medical cost control too. As it is, we have a different population.